Electric toothbrush sanitizer and charger



March 14, 1967 R. c. LE SUEUR ETAL 3,309,159

ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH SANITIZER AND CHARGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 12, 1965 I H M H WWM WWFLW INVENTORS. ROBERT C LESUEUR RICHARDJIHUGHES ATTORNEY arch 14, 1967 R. c. LE SUEUR ETAL 3,309,159

ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH SANITIZER AND CHARGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 12, 1965 INVENTORS. ROBERT C. LESUEUR ATTORNEY RICHARDIHUGHES United States Patent 3,309,159 ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH SANITIZER AND CHARGER Robert C. Le Sueur, River Forest, and Richard J. Hughes,

Des Plaines, 11]., assignors to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Nov. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 507,489 6 Claims. (Cl. 312-206) This invention relates to a toothbrush sanitizer and charger particularly adapted for housing a cordless electric toothbrush holder, charging means therefor, a plurality of brushes intended for interchangeable mounting in the brush holder, a drinking glass, and an ultra violet light bulb for sanitizing the brushes and drinking glass.

The main object of the invention is to provide means for housing the toothbrushes in an enclosed chamber when not in use, in such positions that the bristles face an ultra violet light bulb and receive the sanitizing rays emitted by the bulb.

Another object of the invention is to provide the brush chamber with a hinged door which is readily accessible to the user for manually opening the door and exposing the plurality of brushes for quick removal.

Another object is to mount the brushes in such manner that they are carried forward by the door out of the housing so that each of the brushes is accessible for removal and, further, to provide means actuated by the opening of the door for shielding the ultra violet light bulb and for preventing rays from the bulb to enter the brush chamber while the door is open. Closing of the door automatically returns the shield or occulter to an unobstructing position whereby the ultra violet light rays again pass to the bristles of the brushes in the brush chamher.

The advantages of the invention will become apparent from the drawings and following description.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational front view of toothbrush sanitizer and charger for a cordless electric brush holder embodying our invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, in the plane of the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, in the plane of the line 44 of FIG. 2, showing toothbrushes and sanitizer mechanism as they appear when the brush chamber door is closed.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing the same parts as they appear when the brush chamber door is open.

In that embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, a housing comprises a vertical rear wall 11, two vertical side walls 12, 13, top 14, and bottom 15, connected together to form a partially open front chamber divided into three areas. The left hand portion houses a cordless electric toothbrush holder 16 in the lower chamber 17, and charger means (not shown) in the upper chamber which is closed by a front plate 18. The right hand portion houses a drinking glass 19 in the chamber 20. Above the chamber 20 is a horizontal wall 21, slightly concave on its upper surface, provided with an opening 22. An ultra violet light bulb 23 is mounted in the chamber 24 above the wall 21 in position to emit rays which pass through the opening 22 to the upper portion of the glass 19. The front of the chamber 24 is closed by a front plate 25.

A brush chamber 26 for housing a plurality of conventional toothbrushes 27 is located centrally of the housing 10 and separated from the chamber 17 by a fixed wall 28. The front of the brush chamber is closed by a door 29 hingedly mounted at its bottom edge 30 on the bottom 15 of the housing. The upper end of the door 29 is provided with an inwardly extending catch 31 which engages a push button latch 32 mounted in a recess 33 in the top 14.

A brush holder 35 adapted for holding toothbrushes 27 is attached to the inner surface of the door 29 as indicated at 36, and is movable with the door and relatively to the housing. The holder 35 has an upper edge 37 in clined downwardly from front to rear in a plane which exposes the brush bristles above the holder 35 so that they face the chamber 24 and the ultra violet light bulb 23 therein. The brush holder 35 is located sufficiently below the top wall 14 of the housing 10 so that the brushes 27 clear the top wall 14 when the door is swung to open position as shown in FIG. 5.

Mounted adjacent the brush holder 35, between the brush chamber 26 and light bulb chamber 24, is an occulter 40. The occulter is loosely mounted on a spring pivot pin 41 on a bracket 42 fixedly mounted on the rear wall 11. The occulter 40 normally is in the depending position shown in FIG. 4. When the door 29 is opened, the brush holder 35 and brushes 27 move outwardly with the door, in the position shown in FIG. 5. The holder 35 has projecting from its side a projection which may be a roller 43 which serves to lift the occulter by contact with the edge 44, raising the occulter into the position of FIG. 5 until the roller 43 engages the hook 45. When in this position, the door is prevented from further outward movement, and the occulter closes the opening between the brush chamber and the ultra violet light chamber.

The arrangement of the brush chamber, light bulb chamber and drinking glass chamber provides for most efficient use of the ultra violet light rays for sanitizing a plurality of toothbrushes and the drinking glass. The construction of the brush chamber door and means for carrying the brushes 27 thereon provides simple mechanism for making the brushes accessible by opening the door and at the same time automatically actuating the occulter to shield the user from the ultra violet rays.

Changes may be made in details of construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the scope of invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, the construction which embodies the means for sanitizing the toothbrushes may be applied to brushes which are not intended for insertion in the electrical holder shown herein. Likewise, the sanitizing of toothbrushes without mean for sanitizing a drinking glass is also comprehended within this invention.

We claim:

1. A toothbrush sanitizer comprising:

(a) a housing having a chamber for holding a toothbrush and an adjacent chamber communicating with the first chamber for holding a light bulb,

(b) a door hingedly connected to the housing for clos ing the front of the brush chamber,

(c) bracket means on the door and movable therewith for supporting a toothbrush in the brush chamber in position wherein the brush bristles face the light bulb when the door is closed,

((1) an occulter swingingly mounted in the housing between the brush chamber and light bulb chamber normally disposed in unobstructing position relatively to the bulb, and

(e) means movable with the door for engaging the occulter and moving it to light ray obstructing position when the door is open.

2. The toothbrush sanitizer defined by claim 1 in which the housing includes a drinking glass chamber located beneath the light bulb chamber separated from each other by a horizontal wall provided with an opening for passage of light rays to the upper part of the glass.

3. The toothbrush sanitizer defined by claim 1 in which the occulter is a plate pivotally connected near one edge to the housing and provided with a hook at a distance from the pivotal connection, and in which the means for moving the occulter is a projection on the bracket movable with the door for engaging an edge of the plate between the pivotal connection and the hook to thereby move the occulter to light ray obstructing position while the door is being opened, and to engage the hook for limiting the outward movemnt of the door.

4. An electric toothbrush sanitizer and charger comprising:

(a) a housing having an open front chamber for holding a cordless electric toothbrush holder, a charger chamber above the first chamber, a centrally located brush chamber, and an adjacent light bulb chamber communicating with the brush chamber,

(b) a door hingedly connected to the housing for closing the front of the brush chamber,

(c) bracket means connected to the inner side of the door and movable therewith for supporting a plurality of toothbrushes in the brush chamber in position wherein the brush bristles face the light bulb when the door is closed,

((1) an occulter swingingly mounted in the housing between the brush chamber and light bulb chamber normally disposed in unobstructing position relative- 1 1. to the bulb, and

(e) means movable with the door for engaging the occulter and moving it to light ray obstructing position when the door is open.

5. The electric toothbrush sanitizer defined by claim 4 in which the housing includes a drinking glass chamber located beneath the light bulb chamber separated from each other by a horizontal wall provided with an opening for passage of light rays to the upper part of the glass.

6. The electric toothbrush sanitizer defined by claim 4, in which the occulter is a flat plate pivotally connected to the housing near one of the lower corners of the plate and provided with a hook on the lower opposite corner, and in which the means for moving the occulter is a roller mounted on the bracket for engaging the lower edge of the plate between the pivotal connection and hook to thereby raise the occulter to light ray obstructing position While the door is being opened and to engage the hook for limiting the outward movement of the door.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,074,514 9/1913 McLennan 312275 X 2,554,156 5/1951 Rosenthal 21102 2,579,242 12/1951 Pask 2505l 2,714,444 8/1955 Shippen 206-15.l 3,100,842 8/ 1963 Tellefsen 25051 3,184,277 6/ 1965 Stevens 312-276 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner. 

1. A TOOTHBRUSH SANITIZER COMPRISING: (A) A HOUSING HAVING A CHAMBER FOR HOLDING A TOOTHBRUSH AND AN ADJACENT CHAMBER COMMUNICATING WITH THE FIRST CHAMBER FOR HOLDING A LIGHT BULB, (B) A DOOR HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE HOUSING FOR CLOSING THE FRONT OF THE BRUSH CHAMBER, (C) BRACKET MEANS ON THE DOOR AND MOVABLE THEREWITH FOR SUPPORTING A TOOTHBRUSH IN THE BRUSH CHAMBER IN POSITION WHEREIN THE BRUSH BRISTLES FACE THE LIGHT BULB WHEN THE DOOR IS CLOSED, (D) AN OCCULTER SWINGINGLY MOUNTED IN THE HOUSING BETWEEN THE BRUSH CHAMBER AND LIGHT BULB CHAMBER NORMALLY DISPOSED IN UNOBSTRUCTING POSITION RELATIVELY TO THE BULB, AND 